§ Mr. Stottasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps she is taking to improve the statistics of populations of local areas in view of the importance of having accurate and up to date information both for allocating resources and planning for the future.
§ Dr. OwenI am well aware of the difficulties of both central and local government because of the lack of accurate statistics on the population of local areas. I have therefore, asked the Registrar-General, in consultation with other Departments, local authorities and electoral registration officers, to undertake feasibility studies to show whether the annual canvass which is used at present to construct the electoral register might be enhanced to provide improved demographic information about local areas. Corresponding work will be carried out in Scotland.